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Rain Man

This is my hubby. We met through a dating service. He was my 11th match. I was his 1st. I continued to date people after we met....he didn't. We don't really make sense "on paper", but we make perfect sense in real life!

D-man

D-Man

This is my first born. He is funny, smart, sarcastic and obsessed with baseball. He loves his baby sisters and they know it and can get him to do almost anything for them!

A-Girl

A-Girl is my oldest girl, my first C-Section and likes a lot of the same things I do. She is turning into a teenager in front of my nervous eyes. We bond watching So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway and Design Star.

L-Girl

L-Girl is my second girl. She is a lot like her father. Full of energy and ideas. I can occassionally talk her into bonding over a dancing show, but she would rather be off running around doing other things.

A-Man

This little dude is not easily forgotten by anyone who meets him. He has lots and lots and lots of energy and lots and lots and lots of ideas of things to try and just see what happens. Usually the results get him and trouble and then Mom and Dad laugh behind closed doors.

S-Girl

This little peanut looks just like me when I was her age. She is A-Man's partner in crime. She has every male in our house wrapped around her cute little pinkie.

V-Girl

This is my baby. She has been walking since 9 months and has been a lot of fun and trouble ever since. She is a jolly baby who has all of us wrapped around her chubby little finger.

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Thursday, October 29, 2015

You have heard me talk about Maestro Classics before. This time around, we got to listen to The Nutcracker.

We have used Maestro Classics before when we got a chance to listen to Swan Lake. by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I was already much more familiar with the music from The Nutcracker than I was with most of the music in Swan Lake....but, I still learned a lot and completely love Maestro Classics and their whole concept.

Their whole "thing" is to bring classical music to the....ahem.....little people. Hahahaha! You know what I mean though, right? Normal people, not just the tuxedo wearing crowd eating pate in the lobby....asking someone to pass the Grey Poupon. You know? Just making it more able to be understood by normal people like you and me.

Maestro Classics puts stories to classical music. That is all...and yet, it is so much more.

Aside from the music, there is a ton of stuff that can be used for educational purposes too. The little CD book that comes with has a few learning activities in it that tie to The Nutcracker ( the little 2 page tutorial on the harp just solidified my desire to playing it!), but you can also download other printables and curriculum guides.

I did not utilize the curriculum guide for us....yet....because, I wanted to save it and pull it out at Christmas-time for us. But, I have peeked at it...lots of good stuff on the history of nutcrackers, mini-musical studies surrounding Tchaikovsy. I always love the sneaky fun math problems(based on some information put together by the Houston Ballet) like....If 70,020 people attended the Nutcracker last year and 30% were men,
25% were women, and the rest were children, how many of each group were
there in attendance that season?

So, put in simple terms....this CD/curriculum from Maestro Classics can be as educational as you want.

But, let me tell you what I absolutely loved about Maestro Classics (both this time and last time)....I personally learned so much about music that I have been hearing for years. I will say that I completely and totally wish that I had heard Maestro Classics version/story of The Nutcracker before I ever saw the ballet.

I can remember the first time I saw The Nutcracker at a fancy schmancy ballet company in Minneapolis.

Oh...it was cool. It was magical. It was magnificent and a feast for my eyes.

And...I was so...so....very confused for almost the whole entire time. I remember leaning over and whispering to my friend..."Okay....so, is this part a dream? Wait....what is happening?" I am sure, in restrospect, she was completely annoyed.

Now, I know I will have done better for my kids. They won't be confused. They will understand the story. Not just be familiar with the music.

The story telling part is done by Jim Weiss, a super talented storyteller from Illinois. The other thing that is great about this version of The Nutcracker is that it is only an hour long (but it includes both acts and just gives a condensed version of the whole Nutcracker without skipping anything )and it is intended for ages 5+.....so even V-girl understood what was happening.

I think the idea behind Maestro Classics is brilliant because it makes classic music seem not so out of reach...check them out for your family. They would be perfect for road trips or when you are out running errands.